Field
The present disclosure relates to fluid turbine systems for harnessing light radiant energy, thermal energy and/or kinetic energy in vehicles and methods of operating the fluid turbine systems for enhancing energy generation.
Description of the Related Art
With increasing global energy prices and growing environmental concerns regarding fuel emissions, vehicle manufacturers have sought to harness and regenerate various forms of renewable energy. For example, hybrid and electric vehicles can convert the kinetic energy during deceleration of the vehicle to electrical energy stored in a battery. The stored electrical energy can be utilized to propel movement of the vehicle or power an operation of an auxiliary device such as the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) system. However, a significant portion of the kinetic energy is not harnessed in part because regenerative braking operates solely or primarily during deceleration of the vehicle and is most efficient at certain vehicle speed ranges.
Vehicle manufacturers have also attempted to harness solar energy using solar panels. Although solar panels can be utilized to convert solar energy or load to electrical energy stored in a battery, the stored energy may not be sufficient to propel movement of a vehicle and/or power auxiliary devices. Furthermore, utilizing solar panels in vehicles has been cost prohibitive in certain applications.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a cost-effective system that is configured to effectively and dynamically harness light radiant energy, thermal energy and/or kinetic energy of a vehicle in order to power vehicle operations using the harnessed energy.